The story of Catholic churches in Vail, Colorado, is one of faith, community, and architectural adaptation. From humble beginnings in homes and schoolhouses to modern, interfaith chapels, the Catholic presence in Vail has evolved significantly over the years.
Vail Village, Colorado
Early Catholic Presence in Vail
Many of the early Catholic settlers at Vail came from eastern Iowa and Illinois. Fr Scanlan of Dewitt had visited here at an early date, and by word and example encouraged Catholics from Clinton County to take advantage of the low priced lands to be had in the vicinity of Vail, and establish farms. Among the early Catholic settlers include M. McAndrews, Thomas Ryan, J. Barrett, B. Langan, M.J. Keane, D. McCollough and others.
Prior to 1878 there was no resident priest, however Fr. Garrihan from Dunlap and Fr. McGuiness from Council Bluffs did come occasionally to offer Mass in the farm homes, as well as Fr. In 1878 Bishop Hennessey of Dubuque appointed the first resident priest at Vail, because of the large number of Catholics in the locality. The first pastor was Fr. Roger McGrath, a typical Irish gentleman, full of life and manly vigor, standing full six feet, weighing 225 pounds, the friend of every man, the Catholic, the Protestant, the Free Thinker, generous to a fault. The memory of Fr. McGrath, Vail's first pastor will never fade.
St. Ann's Catholic Church in Vail
Before the plans were completed, however, Fr. M.C. Lenihan was sent to Vail to succeed Fr. McGrath. He came to St. Ann's parish in March, 1880. It was under his direction that a frame church was erected. The first baptism in the new church took place on September 5, 1880 and a little over a year later on September 29, 1881 a cyclone completely demolished the structure. Fr. Lenihan was a young priest, with commendable zeal, and not one to be discouraged. He began immediately to bring order out of chaos. The debris was cleared away, the grounds were graded nicely.
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The old church lumber was carted to a suitable spot and a set of plans were ordered for a new brick structure. He was a great worker, and one day like all ambitious men, he did too much. Almighty smoke rose over our little city. Men lost their way to Barrett's store and Ryan's cafe, so intense was the darkness. Women prayed and called for help so great was their fear and terror. Oh what consternation! In burning off some withered grass, the future bishop did some things he willed not.
April 7, 1882 notice was published that bids would be received from April 8th to April 22nd for the mason work, brick work, cut stone and carpenter work of the new Catholic church, about to be erected. Plans and specifications could be seen at Langan's real estate office in Vail. cemetery purposes. The work of hauling the 100,000 brick for the new church from the yards to the church grounds was completed principally by the farmers of the congregation on August 2nd, 1882. The Messrs. Servoss Bros. were pushing the brick business along rapidly and able to supply them as fast as needed. The following week the stone and brick work were expected to commence on the church.
The cornerstone was laid on the anniversary of the destruction of the old building. It was completed in December, 1882. At the dedication, June 21, 1885, it was said to be the largest church structure in the County. When the church bell arrived sometime later in February, 1886 it too was said to be the largest in the County. It was furnished by McShane and Company of Baltimore, and its musical tones could be heard for many miles. This bell of the old church is still in use here at St. In the summer of 1887, Marshalltown and Vail exchanged pastors. Naturally, it was felt that Father James Murphy who came to Vail, got the best of the bargain.
He was a man of great modesty and sincerity of character and was pleased with the prospects Vail presented for a life of undisturbed piety. He labored alone during the greater part of his pastorate, yet on occasion he was relieved, and during his later years because of failing health, assistant priests were appointed by the Bishop. One to remain the longest, as his assistant, was his nephew. Father Peter Murphy of Emmetsburg, who was in Vail from late in the year of 1910 till 1916.
In the fall of 1920 Fr. Murphy retired, because of poor health and Father J.W. Ryan was appointed pastor, only to remain until 1923 and during that time had Fr. Fr. Ryan was succeeded by Fr. J.J. Sullivan in June 1923, who was to be the pastor for the next six years. In 1929 Fr. Sullivan was ordered by his physician to go to a milder climate for his health, and Fr. A.J. Lynott was sent in his place in January of 1930. He too, remained in Vail for a period of six years when he became ill in the fall of 1936. Father D.L. Clark, our present pastor, succeeded Fr. Lynott, assuming his duties on January 1, 1937.
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He came to us, a young priest full of vim and vitality, from our neighboring parish at Manila. It would be difficult to put on paper the many, many things he has accomplished here in Vail. We need only to look at the beautiful church property, which took countless hours of planning, anxiety and manual labor on his part, but which he completed with help and cooperation of his parishioners and friends, Catholic and non-Catholic alike. The contract for the present modern English Gothic church and rectory, which takes the place of the old brick church built by Fr. Lenhan in 1882, and the old parish rectory which was moved across the street, was let on April 4, 1950.
The Grotto was built by Mr. Simonich, a former Notre Dame football star and then Coach at Heelan High of Sioux City, and Father Clark with a little extra help from some men of the parish. This Grotto was a promise to the Blessed Virgin Mary by Father Clark for the success of the enormous building project he was undertaking here at St. Ann's. The statue "Our Lady of Grace" purchased from Italy at a cost of $600.00, all the new materials used at the Grotto totaled $1,000.00 which amount was donated by Father Clark. The altar stone at the Grotto is the threshold of the old church.
The church and rectory was completed in the fall of 1951. The dedication ceremony was held the following Tuesday on October 16th. Since that time a much needed Sisters convent had been erected. The majority of Father Clark's time in Vail has been spent without the aid of an assistant however at various times the Bishop did send one to help out. Among those for only a short period of time were Fr. Robert Quinn, Fr. Conway and Fr. Keefe.
Needless to say, Father Clark's duties as a priest are many, with a congregation of approximately 180 families, so during the thirty years he has spent with us, so far, he has accomplished a great deal, both spiritually and materially. We hope, by the grace of God, he will be left with us for many more years to come.
St. Clare of Assisi Catholic School and Parish
St. Clare of Assisi Catholic School and Parish in Edwards, CO was founded in 2000. St. Clare of Assisi was chosen as the patron of our parish and school. Above all else St. Clare loved God. Attracted by the joyful presence of St. Francis, a member of the merchant class, his preaching and witness led her to forgo the inheritance of her noble family and choose instead to serve Jesus as a nun. She maintained a friendship with him throughout her life.
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Our school and parish community continue to learn from St. Clare about the importance of putting God first in our life, seeing God in all circumstances and people, living in community, coming to a greater knowledge through our relationships with others, and striving for the perfection of charity through responding to God in concrete actions. This in turn shapes our mission, vision, root beliefs, and core values as we commit to building up the Kingdom of God here on earth and strive towards bringing to life the vision of Cardinal Stafford under the patronage of St.
St. Mary, Eagle
Eagleâs few scattered Catholic clans have hung on to their often priestless parish ever since 1911 according to parish historian Eileen Randall. In 1911, Mrs. E. E. Glenn organized about twenty-two Catholic families under the guidance of Joseph P. Carrigan, pastor of St. Masses were said in the Glenn home until the old Eagle schoolhouse and lots were purchased in 1916 for $1,100. A donation from Denver and Colorado Springs mining man Verner Z. Reed helped the parish to pay for these transactions and fix up the old school with ten pews.
Father Carrigan offered the first Mass in the present church in 1917. The tiny mission donated the rear of its building in 1945 as a home for the Eagle Public Library. In 1989 Harold Koonce compiled a brief parish history recalling the days when the congregation met in the old schoolhouse with an old-fashioned stove banked overnight with coal, would raise a mid-winter temperature from 20 below zero to a barely tolerable 50 degrees by morning. Joseph J. Leberer became Eagle Countyâs first resident pastor, based at Minturn began offering Sunday Masses at St. Maryâs.
As summer tourists squeezed into the little mission, Father Leberer expanded the church by moving the altar back into an adjacent room in 1953. The old homemade pews were replaced with elaborately carved oak pews from the old St. John Church at East 5th Avenue and Josephine Street in Denver. Parishioners donated lumber and labor to remodel St. Maryâs and painted the outside a soft desert rose. In 1985, St. John E. Dold, the first resident pastor, worked with parishioners in 1986 to add a new nave and remodel the old building.
Frank Deml, SVD, the second resident pastor, further remodeled the church. SJ. Harold Koonce noted proudly at the 1989 dedication that the fine new nave holds 160 plus persons, two classrooms, two offices, a big basement room outfitted with a full kitchen. St Maryâs Pre-School opened in September of 1992 fully licensed and occupies a previously unused modular unit attached to the church. The pre-school became fully accredited in 1994 and is funded through tuition fund raising and some parish support.
In 1993, St. Clare Parish was created in Edwards and St. Maryâs once again became a mission parish. It has continued to grow in parishioners and in property. As of 2011, St. Maryâs now consists of almost the entire block including the church, pre-school, small white house and on the corner a two-story house that serves as the Religious Education Center and space for two offices. Total regular Saturday/Sunday Mass attendance can exceed 700 at three masses.
St. Patrick, Minturn
Ten miles northeast of the Mount of the Holy Cross lies Minturn, a lumber town founded on the Denver & Rio Grande line in 1889. Several Catholics settled in the community named either for roadmaster Thomas Minturn or railroad director Robert G. James P. Carrigan, who was appointed pastor of St. Stephenâs in Glenwood Springs in 1910, began making monthly visits to celebrate Mass in Thomas Minturnâs section house. With his encouragement, local Catholics formed St.
Thanks to a $500 gift from the Catholic Extension Society and funds raised by parish suppers and plays, a chapel was constructed in the fall of 1925. Howard G. Monthly Masses were offered by the pastor of Glenwood Springs, and, in 1936, Benedictine sisters from Canon City launched a three-week summer vacation school at St. Patrick. The sisters stayed with the families of various parishioners, including those of J.P. Doyle, J.A. Mack, William McBreen, and Charles A.
The St. Patrick chapel expanded in 1950 with an $875 donation from the Catholic Extension Society, adding a basement, a choir loft, a confessional, and a new ceiling. On July 10, 1952, St. As the parish continued to grow, a larger church was built to accommodate the growing congregation. On August 11, 1990, the St. Patrick parish center, now St. Patrick Church, was dedicated on Pine Street, with Father Edward Poehlmann serving as pastor.
St. Father Hugh Guentner served as pastor of St. Patrick in 2002, when the building that would become the parishâs community building was purchased.
The Church of the Transfiguration and Interfaith Collaboration
The Church of the Transfiguration in Vail, Colorado, does not own a building. In fact, sharing worship and office spaces with other congregations has been key to the churchâs success, said the Rev. Since its inception in 1974, Transfiguration has relied on a shared-space model that keeps overhead down and ecumenical ties strong. âWe all have our own staffs, but we do share back and forth,â Keith said. Because other local faith groups rely on the same shared-space model, the chapels brim with activity on weekends.
In Vail, for instance, the interfaith facility hosts a Jewish group on Friday nights and Roman Catholics on Saturdays. Out of this collaborative model have grown benefits both financial and spiritual, Keith said. Building on close working relationships, Transfiguration has taken ecumenism to heart in structuring its own leadership team. Interfaith collaboration shapes the churchâs outreach, too. The shared-space model has captured the attention of churches in other resort communities, Keith said.
In September 1968, ground was broken on an interfaith chapel in Vail, and its dedication took place in November 1969. Father Thomas Stone, the pastor of St.
The building of the Chapel was a community affair. generously donated a beautiful site along Gore Creek, and a two-year fund drive collected monies while involving property owners in consultations about the Chapelâs design.Virtually all agreed that architecturally, the Chapel should reflect Vailâs alpine ambiance. Ground was broken in September 1968and dedication of the Chapel took place to a âpacked houseâ in November 1969. Reverend Thomas Stone, pastor of St. Patrickâs Roman Catholic Parish in Minturn and the Reverend Don Simonton of the Holy Cross Lutheran Church officiated, as they were the only two resident clergy at the time.
Over the years, the Chapel has grown in both scope of faiths and physical size. The Ministry Center Building, directly behind the Chapel, has allowed for more worship, office and meeting space, and a caretakerâs apartment was added to the chapel. The interior of the Chapel has been kept as simple as possible. Because the view from the altar included such âGodâs masterpiecesâ as mountains, trees, and the Gore Creek, stained glass windows were deemed unnecessary. The St.
Modern church interior
The history of Catholic churches in Vail reflects a deep commitment to faith, community, and collaboration. From the early settlers who gathered in homes for Mass to the modern interfaith chapels that serve multiple denominations, the Catholic community in Vail has continuously adapted and thrived. This enduring legacy is a testament to the dedication of its members and the strong spiritual foundation upon which these churches were built.